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Welcome to my blog. I'm spending a year capturing happiness, and I invite you to come along as I journey toward a more joyful living. I also write about travel, food, and matters of the spirit. Hope you enjoy!

Nov 26 Reminiscing

This is really sad, actually, but I think my Joyful moment (aside from finding this license plate three days ago, and then forgetting about it until today) is re-reading my old Fushilou blogs.

Yes, I know. That's really lame. But hear my out: I USED TO BE FUNNY.

It was this blog particularly that got me reading all of my back files. Ironically, I just returned from the airport where I was like the guy who blew his nose every ten seconds. If that isn't karma, I don't know what is.

I will tell you how I came upon this rabbit hole that was reading my old blogs because the story is quite interesting.

It began with the fact that this article was still on my browser. It's about the 9,000 applicants who applied for the New York Times job--to travel to 52 destinations in 52 weeks and write about it. (In case you missed it, I applied for that job, and you can read my application here.)

Evidently, some people went to extreme lengths to make themselves known to Monica Drake, the NYT Travel Editor, by doing things like sending her inflatable unicorns and flying across the country to show up at the office unannounced and asking a rap artist to make a video for her and making a blog dedicated to Monica Drake, updated regularly with a list of pertinent qualifications.

AS IT TURNS OUT: all of those things that I just mentioned were from the same person. I watched the rap artist video, which led me to the blog, which I read it its entirety, INCLUDING the zip drive he uploaded of his application materials. I'm going to say:

1) this guy is more qualified than I am, having visited 96 countries on a quest to visit all 193 (14 of these countries he visited in the span of 20 days, across 3 continents, which beats my record.)2) this guy is more creative than I am. Rap artists and unicorns aside, his CV looks like an infographic, and even includes a picture of him with Jennifer Lopez.3) this guy clearly wants this job way more than I do. If he doesn't get a restraining order put against him, I definitely think he'll get an interview.

I decided to leave a comment on his blog telling him as much (not the part about the restraining order, just the fact that I had thought I was clever, unique, and qualified for the job, until--thanks to him--I realize I was mistaken. Perhaps I could be his sidekick when he's hired?) He's currently in Fiji, so he probably won't get back to me at least until it's mid-day his time.

(I confidently believe he WILL get back to me. A world traveler must have manners.)

Where was I? Oh right. My own blog.

So, when I left a comment on his website, it linked my name to my blog, which I didn't realize would happen until I clicked my name. And then I wondered how my stats were because I choose not to check those sorts of things out of shame, but once in a while they yield interesting results.

FOR INSTANCE: I'm able to see the search terms people type into Google that bring them to my blog. One of them that was used on November 20th was "reasons to join a convent."

I think that says quite a lot about me.

Also on that day, someone clicked on "A Blog While Waiting At The Airport," which I remembered vaguely and was curious about because I wondered what the stranger who read it would have seen.

Good news: it seemed funny. Maybe the unicorn blogger, or Monica Drake, or some famous book publisher will also find it, think I'm funny, hire me as a sidekick, travel writer, or give me a book deal, and life will be cheery.

And if not, at least I know I can entertain myself in the years to come.